The government needs to stay out of the marriage business. Churches, synagogues, and mosques need to stay out of the civil union business.

“…as a racially mixed couple, in the not-too-distant past we could not be legally married in many states. So we feel that we should support the next group of people that cannot be legally married. It is not a gay issue, but a civil rights and social justice issue.”

Clergy Support for the Refuse to Sign Campaign
We the undersigned ask you to sign the Clergy Covenant in support of the Refuse to Sign Campaign.
In good conscience, I am no longer able to function as an agent of the government by signing state-issued marriage licenses. This license is only afforded to a portion of [...]

Couple Support for the Refuse to Sign Campaign
We believe that all consenting adults should be afforded the same marriage rights regardless of their sexual orientation. We also believe that state-issued marriage license should only be signed by a recognized secular official of the state (e.g. a justice of the peace), but not by [...]

Our congregation/faith community covenants that we will make it our policy that our faith leaders will not be signing agents of state-issued marriage licenses.

As a layperson, I believe there should be a separation of the church and the state in reference to the signing of the state-issued marriage licenses.

My church recognizes same gender unions, yet the state where I live does not.

Bibliography
Cain, Patricia A. Rainbow Rights: The Role of Lawyers and Courts in the Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights Movement. Boulder Colo.: Westview, 2000.
Chambers, David L. “Couples: Marriage, Civil Union, and Domestic Partnership.” In Creating Change: Sexuality, Public Policy, and Civil Rights. Edited by John D’Emilio, William B. Turner, and Urvashi [...]

Refuse to Sign on Facebook
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Earlier this year, the church I serve (Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ) decided that our clergy would no longer sign state-issued marriage licenses, nor would we allow them to be signed on our property. To us, this is a pertinent social justice issue. Because same-gender couples are not allowed to get married [...]

“Some have even announced they will not perform any marriages — gay or straight — until the ban is dissolved. Art Cribbs, a minister in southern California, joined a Cleveland-based campaign called Refuse-to-Sign in early July. A nationwide alliance of progressive clergy, Refuse-to-Sign aims to divide marriage into a two-step process: a secular, legislative aspect, [...]

By the power invested in me by the state of Ohio, I now pronounce you…